By Jane L. Fitzpatrick, (Spring 1980)

We made it! This is it, the vast edge of eternity…

I take a breath as a gentle, cool breeze rushes over my red cheeks. I breathe deeper, looking out over the rocky, rugged shadows, and I feel their ancient strength.

Evergreens at the tree line poke their heads to the sky through a thin blanket of fast-moving, low clouds. The warmth of the sun greets us all.

Far off, diamonds glisten over a glassy lake, twinkling across the smooth water of mirrored trees. All the gems of the earth cannot match this glorious brilliance.

How far this vastness reaches, and Creation is far bigger than this! I cannot even see the end, for the clouds blur the horizon.

The sun’s rays fall across my face and unruly hair. In the distance I hear water… trickling, the melting of a winter. Inevitable. This is springtime, the renewing of Creator’s unstoppable plan – the awakening of a new cycle.

What wise beauty. It is the road map of perfection for Nature and for us.